Time switch



E. W. DENIVIAN. TIME swncH. APPLICATION FILED JAN. I6, I9I9.

Patented Oct. 31, 1922;. H' I2 JJf/I IIQI i" 1I* IIO 'I Il? d f f/r 2/ Il.' gia Patented Oct. 31, 1922.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EARL W. DENMAN, OI'WILKINSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO WESTINGHOUSE'ELECTRIC & MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

TIME SWITCH.

Application led January 16, 1919. Serial No. 271,464.

T o all whom, t may ooncem:

Be it known that I,` EARL WV. DENMAN, a citizen oit the United States,and a resident of VVilkinsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State ofPennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement l in TimeSwitches, otl which the following is a specitication.

My invention relates to time switches and particularly to`electrically-wound time switches. y

The object of my invention is to provide a relatively simple andinexpensive time switch that shall have clock-control meansfor windingthe clock and actuating the switch. l

In practicing my invention, l provide a cloclrmechanism, apinotor and aspring-actuated snap switch. The motor is adapted to be'controlled bythe clock mechanism for periodically winding the springs if the clockand the switch, and the clock mechanism is also adapted to control theoperation of the switch. Vith this arrangiement, accurate operation ofthe clock may be ensured be. cause the clock is not required to performany undue amount of work but merely controls the motor and the switch.

Figure 1 of the accompanyingy drawings is a front elevational view, withparts broken away, of a time switch embodying my invention, and Fig. 2is a view taken along the line II-II of Fig. 1. y

A time switch 1 comprises. in general. a casingr 2 in which is mounted amotor, a cloclemechanism 4. a snap switch 5 and a controlling device 6.The casing 2 is provided with a cover member 7 for enclosing the same,and terminal members 8 are provided or operatively connecting the switchto the circuit (not shown) to be protected.

The clock `mechanism 4 comprises. an esoapementdevice 9 and a. spring 10that is disposed in a spring barrel 11 and operativelyk connectedthereto at its outer end. The inner end of the spring 10 is connected toa shaft 12 upon which is mounted a gear wheel 13 and a sleeve member14..v A second sleeve member 15 is disposed around the sleeve member 14and is provided with a cam member 16 that may be actuated by a. leverarm 17.y Similarly, a cam member 18 is mounted on the sleeve member 14and is adapted to be actuated by a lever member 19. The lever members`17and 19 are provided with detents 2() that are adapted to engage thetoothed periphery of an annular member 21 which is mounted on the shaft12. The member 21 is divided, preferably, into 24 equal divisionsrepresenting the twenty tour hours of the day. A stationary pointer 22is mounted on a bracket 23 that supports one end of the shaft 12 andco-operates with the markings on the member' 21 to indicate time.

The lever arm 17 is secured at 17"L to the sleeve 15. Upon movement ofthe arm 17 to a designated position ou the periphery of the toothedmember 21, the cam member 16, by reason of its connection to the sleeve15, is correspondingly moved. The engagement of the detents 20 of thearm 17 with the member 21 causes the cam 16 to be rotated with themember 21.

The cam member 18 is mounted on the sleeve 14 and is connected to thetoothed member 21 through the sleeve 14. arm 19 and the detents 20 ofsuch arm. The cam members 16 and 18 may thus be adjusted relatively toone another and are rotatable with the toothed member 21. Thisarrangement permits the cams to occupy the hereinafter describedoperative positions at any desired hour, dependingr upon the points atwhich the arms 17 and 19 are positioned upon the toothed member 21.

A worm screw 24 is secured to the spring barrel 11 and is looselydisposed around the shaft 12. An internally screw-threaded cam member 25is disposed on the worm screw 24I and has an opening` therein to receivea pin 26 that is mounted in the gear wheel 13. A pin 27- is mounted onthe cani 25 and is adapted to engage a pin` 28 on the spring barrel 11,under predetermined conditions.

The gear wheel 13 engages a pinion 29 that is mounted on a spindle 30upon which is also mounted a gear wheel 31. The gear wheel 31 engages apinion 32 of the escapement device 9. y

The switch 5 comprises a spindle 33 upon which is mounted a bridgingcontact member 34 and two cam members 35 and 36.l

One end of a spring 37 is connected to the bridging contact member 34and the other end is connected to a gear wheel 38 that is adapted toengage a gear wheel 39 on the spring barrel 11. The bridgin contactmember 34 is adapted to vcomplete tie circuit between stationary contactmembers 40 and 41, under predetermined conditions. Two lever arms 42 and43 are pivotally mounted on post i4 and are provided with hook portions45, at the lower ends thereof, for controlling the operation of theswitch 5. That is,l the cam members 16 and 18 control the lever arms 42and 43 which, in turn, control the switch 5 through the cam members 35and 36 and, when the lever arms 42 and 43 are so actuated as to releasethe cam members 35 and 36, the spring 37 quickly actuates the switch 5to its open or its closed position.

The ends 34L and 34h of the bridging meinber 34 iie in diiierenthorizontal planes, and the contact meinbers 40 and 41 lie inthe samehorizontal. planes as 34a and 34, respectively. Thus, when the' partsare in the positions indicated in Fig. 1, the Contact members 4() and 41are bridgell, but when the bridging1 member 34 is rotated one-hali1 ot arevolution to brealr the circuit, and the cam or stop member 35 engagesthe lever arm 43, the end 34a of the bringing member lies immediatelyabove the stationary contact member 41 while the end lies below the staionary contact member 40.

A pinion 46 that is mounted on the shalt of the motor 3 engages a gearwheei. 47 which, in turn, actuates the gear wheel 39 on the springbarrel through a gear wheel 48, a pinion 49, a gear wheel 5() and apinion 51. A switch 52 for the circuit of the motor 3 comprises twoco-operating pivotally mounted members 53 and 54 the member ot which isadapted to rest on the periphery ot the cam 25. Thus, the switch 52 isadapted to periodicallyv complete the circuit of the motor 3 and therebywind the springs 10 and 37 a predetermined amount and, as the spring 10is unwound by reason of the operation of the escapement device, theswitch 5 is released and closed at predetermined times in accordancewith the setting of the lever arms 17 and 19.

1With the switch 52 in the position shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, themotor 3 is energized to wind the spring 10 and, since the motor isconnected to the spring barrel, the worm screw 24, that is alsoconnected to the spring barrel, will be actuated and, since the pin 26on the gear wheel 13 is substantially stationary, the cam25 will notturn but will move towards the spring barrel 11 and thus the circuit ofthe motor 3 will remain closed until the pin 27 engages the pin 28.`This e will cause the cam 25 to be turned a suticient amount to causethe member 53 of the switch 52 to assume the position shown in thebroken lines in Fig. 1 ofthe drawings and thereby open the circuit ofthe motor it will be understood that the pin 26 has sutiicient play inthe cam 25 to permit slight rotative movement of the cam 25 when 'the.pins 27` and 28 are engaged.

When the switch 52 is opened, the motor 3 ceases to operate, and theescapement device 9 permits the spring 10 to be unwound and the shaft 12to be actuated substantiallyv as in a clock. However, since the leverarms 17 and 19 are placed in definite positions with respect to themember 21, the cam members 16 and 18 will release the lever arms 42 and43 at predetermined times and thus permit the switch 5 to be actuated.As the spring 10 unwinds, by reason ofthe releasing of the same by theescapement device 9, the gear wheel 13y rotates and thus the pin 26actuates the cam member 25 in a counterclockwise direction which causesthe same to move laterally along the wormscrew 24. In other words, themember 53 of the switch 52 travels around the periphery of the calm 25until it again is in such position as to engage the member 54 of theswitch 52. This, of course, will again cause the motor 3 to operate andthe springs 10 and 37 to be rewound. If the power that operates themot-or is interrupted while the contact members 52 and 53 are inengagement, the pin 26 will turn the cam 25 to cause the same to movelaterally along the worm screw 24, away from thc spring barrel 11 agreater distance than it normally would should the power still beinterrupted at the next winding period. Thus, it will require windingthe spring 10 to a greater amount in order to again bring the pin 27into engagement with the pin 28 to interrupt the circuit of the motor.This feature permits continued operation of the device should power-beinterrupted over a period greater than the period between normalwindings.

A knurled-head device is provided for setting the member 21, as is thecase in ordinary clock mechanisms.

lVith my invention, since the' clock spring is not required to do anywork except to control the motor andthe switch, its operation may beexceedingly accurate.

I donot limit my invention to the specific structure illustrated, as itmay be variously modified without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention, as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention 1. In a time" switch, the combination with amotor and a clock mechanism, of a springactuated snap switch providedwith a spring adapted to contain stored energy sufficient to actuate theswitch during a plurality of operations, means whereby the motorperiodically winds the clock mechanism' and the said spring, and meansactuated by the clockV mechanism for controlling the operation oftheswitch. i Y 2. In a time switch, the combination with a motor and aclock mechanism, of a springactuated snap switch provided with a springof suiiicient capacity for a plurality of 'opcrations, means whereby themotor periodically winds the clock mechanism and thc said spring, andmeans actuated by the clock mechanism for controlling the operation ofthe switch and the motor.

3. In. a time switch, the combination with a motor, aclock mechanism, aswitch and an actuating spring for the switch of suihcient capacity fora plurality of operations, of means whereby the motor winds the clockand the said spring, and means actuated by the clock mechanism forcontrolling the operation of the switch and the motor.

et. In a time switch, the combination with a mot-or a clock mechanismand a springactuated snap switch, of means actuated by the clockmechanism for controlling the switch independently of the motor and for.fausing the motor to wind the clock spring and the switch spring.

5. In a ytime switch, the combination with a motor, a clock mechanismand a springactuated snap switch that is provided with a spring oitsufficient capacity for a plurality ot operations, ot means whereby themotor may wind. the clock and switch springs, and cam devices actuatedby the clock mechanism for controlling the motor and the switch.

6. In a time switch, the combination wit-h n motor and. a clockmechanism, of a snap switch, a spring for actuating the switch, meanswhereby the motor periodically winds escapement device connected to theother y end of the spring, n worm screw connected to the ont-er end otthe spring, a cam member 'for engaging the worm screw, means connectedto the escapement device for so turning the cam member that 1t moveslaterally along the worm screw, a switch for the` motor controlled bythe cam member, and means connected to the outer end of the spring forso actuating the cam member after the spring is wound that the switch isquickly opened.

8. In a time switch, the combination with a motor, a clock mechanism, aswitch, and a spring for storing energy sufficient to actuate the switchduring a plurality of operations, of means actuated by the clockmechanism for controlling the switch and for causingfthe motor to windthe clock spring and the switch spring.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 30th dayvof Dec., 1918.

EARL W. ,DENMAN

